Q: Dear Ron: I m told that certain numbers in scripture ...



Numerology

APRIL 2011

My people perish for want of knowledge – Hosea 4:6

Note: When I use bold print in this report it is my emphasis and not the emphasis of the source that I am quoting.

Q:

Dear Ron: I’m told that certain numbers in scripture have special significance, e.g. six signifies something imperfect: 666 is an example of a number being applied to a scriptural concept. Seven is another example: seven foolish bridesmaids. People have told me that the correct word for this is numerology. I am uncertain, as numerology has more to do with paganism and astrology. Nick

A:

To begin, reading about and understanding numbers used in Holy Scriptures is not numerology. Studying the meaning of biblical numbers has no special name that I know of. It is just another segment or part of bible study in general. There are several significant numbers used in the bible. They are significant because God decided to use them for His purposes. I’ll give you a few examples.

"Numbers are used throughout apocalyptic writings, again, not for details but for their symbolic meaning: 'Three' is considered a divine number representing God, hence the three-fold 'Holy, holy, holy'. 'Four' symbolizes the earthly world as in the 'four corners of the earth' due to the four elements of earth, wind, water, and fire. 'Six' represents man as he was created on the sixth day. The number 'Seven' signifies the seven days of the creation, and seven days of the week. 'Twelve' is the number of religion, as in the twelve tribes of Israel and the twelve apostles."[1]

Novena is Latin for nine. The apostles waited and prayed in the upper room for nine days awaiting Jesus’ return. Traditionally, using this nine day period of prayer, the Church has created a number of Novenas where we again pray for a situation or person in a series of nine times (usually days).

"The number 'ten' is important in the Bible. The world is created with ten divine words (according to Jewish mysticism); there are ten patriarchs before the Flood, the ten temptations of Abraham, the ten plagues of Egypt, the Ten Commandments, and the one-tenth offering (tithing) for the church."[2]

Lastly, "Forty is a special number in the Bible, especially in the Old Testament. It rained forty days and forty nights during the Flood of Noah, the Israelites were lost in the desert for forty years before entering the Promised Land, Moses spent forty days on Mount Sinai before receiving the Ten Commandments, and Jesus spent forty days in the desert in preparation of his public ministry."[3]

As I write this report we are about two-thirds through our forty days of Lent!

Now we get into the occult practice of numerology.

"Numerology: Use of numbers associated with a person’s name and birth date as a means of divination."[4] "Divination: The attempt to gain information about people or events by supernatural means."[5]

God prohibits us from practicing divination; thus he prohibits us from practicing numerology.

"When you come into the land which the Lord, your God, is giving you, you shall not learn to imitate the abominations of the peoples there. Let there not be found among you anyone who immolates his son or daughter in the fire, nor a fortune-teller, soothsayer, charmer, diviner (one who does divination), or caster of spells, nor one who consults ghosts and spirits or seeks oracles from the dead. Anyone who does such things is an abomination to the Lord, and because of such abominations the Lord, your God, is driving these nations out of your way."[6]

"Divination, whether from the ouija board, tarot cards, palmistry, rod and pendulum, astrology, necromancy, channeling, Silva Mind Control, or any other form (numerology) is forbidden in the bible.

It is a serious offense because in practicing divination, one is seeking knowledge from a supernatural source other than God."[7]

When Holy Church refers to a 'serious offense' she is inferring a mortal sin! "To practice divination is to disobey the first and foremost commandment, to follow the one, true God. Divination is, in fact, a rebellion against God (1 Samuel 15:23). God has a covenant with his people, and He expects them to keep it. 'Do not turn to mediums or wizards; do not seek them out, to be defiled by them. I am the Lord your God' (Leviticus 19:31)."[8]

I hope that this report answers your question. If you need further clarification or information, please ask.

This report prepared on March 17, 2005 by Ronald Smith, 11701 Maplewood Road, Chardon, Ohio 44024-8482, E-mail: hfministry@. Readers may copy and distribute this report as desired, without restrictions in number, as long as the content is not altered and is copied in its entirety.

† Let us recover by penance what we have lost by sin †

In Numerology, letters of the alphabet are assigned numerical values, and when the individual values of the different letters of a person’s name are totaled, the resulting sum has a significance, or so it is believed – either good or bad – numerologically. Having the 'right' combination is believed to influence one’s fortunes [for good, naturally. Who wants bad luck?] With the dissemination of New Age thinking, one regularly sees conventional names being mutilated by personalities ranging from New Age therapists to politicians, from film stars to businessmen.

The Chennai based head of Conybio, the company that sells the occult products of the same name [] is N. Khanagendrran.

Reiki Master Shobhaa Ramji’s Divvine Retreat at Spencer Plaza in Chennai was a major outlet for Feng Shui, astrological and other occult artifacts. She also operates the Cosmic Healing Centre.

I was shocked to read that one of my fellow- parishioners had changed her name from "John" to Joawn" for "numerological" reasons [read as "financial"] and I wrote the following letter to her:

To Mrs. Saroja John, G-1 M.I.G. Block

Foreshore Estate

CHENNAI 600 028 18th May 2004

SUB: MYLAPORE TIMES MAY 1-7, 2004

Dear Mrs. Saroja John

This refers to an article on you that was written by one Candida in the referred newspaper.

May I introduce myself as a childhood friend of your two sons Ashok John and Vivek John, also known to your late husband Lt. Col. John. I am now a fulltime Catholic lay evangelist.

This concerns certain information provided about you by the newspaper.

The article informs readers that you "altered (your) surname from 'John' to 'Joawn' for numerologic reasons" and that this may be one "reason for (your) success" in your small business of catering etc.

I take the liberty to write this because you are also reported to be a "parishioner of St. Lazarus Church", and presumably both the writer of the article and your good self, like me, are Catholics.

[It is my understanding that there is no St. Lazarus Church in Chennai and that the Church in question is dedicated to Our Lady of Guidance].

I would like to bring to your kind attention that the practice of numerology by Christians is against the First Commandment, and the use of numerology is a mortal sin in the context of this commandment.

For a Christian to employ numerology to change her name [as our Chief Minister Jayalalithaa has done, from the original Jayalalitha] for the purpose of bringing 'luck' into her life is to deny the centrality of the God of the Bible in her life and declare something else as God in His place.

Numerology is a superstitious art, a form of idolatry, and expresses lack of trust in the Providence and Sovereignty of a Living God. [Catechism of the Catholic Church 2111, 2116, 2117].

In the light of the above, it is a matter of regret that you have been projected as a Catholic, with statues and religious pictures in the background of your photograph that accompanies the write-up.

May I humbly suggest, as a fellow Christian, that you abjure the use of numerology and revert to your original name of John, for the sake of your immortal soul and of Jesus Christ who died for us so that we may have, through Him alone, life in all abundance [John 10:10]. Michael Prabhu

Copies to Fr. Anthonysamy, Parish Priest, Our Lady of Guidance Church

Mr. Vincent D’Souza, Editor, Mylapore Times

Mrs. John-Joawn responded with a nasty letter -- which I am now unable to locate -- asking me to mind my own business.

There was this letter posted by a Catholic and passed by the moderator in a Catholic forum:

MANGALOREAN CATHOLICS digest no. 377 dated August 25, 2005        

From: Clarence Fernandes Date: Thu, 25 Aug 2005 00:33:40 -0700 (PDT)   

Subject: Numerology.... sounds real!

Is your birthday day 1 of the month?

Your Life: You are very curious and dedicative. When you are interested in something, everything else has to wait. This is your quality. But if you learn to be more patient and complete what you have started, you will be successful in life. Your Love: You believe in love at first sight. You won't wait to learn more about the person. Vise versa, people who fail to impress you will hardly get a chance to be your friend. Your emotion is on the extreme. You can only love or hate, nothing in between and this often shows in your expression. Try not to end a relationship in a quarrel.

The New Indian Express of January 27, 2005 reported on the 41-page wedding invitation of a Catholic couple in Chennai that gave, among other things, handy information on numerology and birth stars. Maybe there was a numerologic reason for the decision to have 41 pages and not 40 or 42!

Use of numerology is superstitious, and superstition is also a mortal sin, a grievous breaking of the First Commandment.

In my ancestral Mangalore, when the harvest or new crop festival Monti Fest is celebrated by Catholics, the number of ears of corn (thene) collected from the field must be odd i.e. 3, 5, 7 or 9.

Similarly, the number of dishes prepared should also be odd, like 5 or 7.

In Tamil Nadu where I live, I was horrified to watch a row erupt at a grave over the number of nails hammered into a coffin. Evidently someone had used one nail more than the numerologically permitted number. The presiding priest remained a mute spectator while the offending nail was extracted.

Catholics select fancy numerology-compliant number plates for their vehicles. One of my cousins’ sons committed suicide by consuming poison in January. A rich, young businessman, the number plate he had purchased for his Honda car was 666. The "Il Cornuto" was all over his web site.

Talking of 666, I had copied this from some internet discussion forum but did not note the source:

Writer 1: Take a look at the name "JOHN PAUL II" in Latin... From:

(John) IOANES = 1, (Paul) PAVLVS = 60, (II) SECVNDO = 605, T o t a l = 1 + 60 + 605 = 666

Writer 2: Too bad that Paul does not translate to pavlvs, and neither does second translate to secvndo. In fact, the closest translation to second in Latin is secundani, but that only yields a measly little 662, so it’s not good enough for your anti-catholic lies.

Furthermore, secundani cannot even apply to the pope, since it’s the word for soldiers of the second legion. The correct word, two, translated into Latin is duo, which puts your grand total at (drum roll please) ... 561.

As if that weren’t enough, even using the poor translations of John, and Paul, from the website, anyone with half a wit in Latin can tell you that when it comes to Roman numerals, U=0. So what happened? Well, using the translation PAULUS the fundies changed the U's to V's so that their numerology would make sense. But since we already dispelled the myth of secvndo being an accurate translation of the word second anyway, I guess the point is really moot. Too bad you protestant fundy types are too ignorant of Latin to know you’re spreading lies, lies which are meant to destroy the reputation of another and hence are sinful in nature.

Those who practice numerology inevitably fall into the net of other occult and New Age practices.

(Sixty-year-old Chennai professional astrologer K. Parthasarathy hanged himself using his angavastram [sacred thread worn by a Brahmin] on the 18th of January, 2005, because he 'foresaw' his death on the 21st, and decided to end his life anyway[New Indian Express, January 19, 2005]. This is one prediction that certainly did NOT come true! Parthasarathy was a third generation astrologer, had been a Professor of Politics and Public Administration and also practised numerology, extra-sensory perception and telepathy.

("Astrological numerology" tells an individual how to calculate lucky numbers from his date of birth.

("Many famous astrologers of the past are known to have been involved with witchcraft, psychometry, numerology, crystal gazing, the use of sorcery, the Qabalah, séances, trances, mediums and spirits… The recycled menus of tarot, I-ching, the occult, palmistry, forehead reading, tantra and mantra now play musical chairs with planetary astrology. If one method doesn’t work, people junk it to try something else." [India Today, October 20, 2003]

("This predictive pot-pourri has rapidly gained popularity over the decades. Many feel that the multiple disciplines enhance the foreteller’s insight." Says Mumbai-based astroguru Bejan Daruwalla, "Few astrologers practise pure Vedantic forms. Most use an eclectic mix." [India Today, September 17, 2001]

("Fortune-telling is a 40,000 crore industry. It touches the lives of more Indians now than ever," reports a national weekly magazine. Courses in astrology, palmistry, numerology and Vaastu Shastra are now available at Universities. [CAN THE STARS FORETELL? by Rampert Ratnaiya APOLOGIA- THE NEW SPIRITUALITY, January-March 2005 Volume 1 Issue 1, Ravi Zacharias International Ministries]

(Dr. Sujata Goda, the only holder of a doctorate in yoga [Madras University] is the Director of the Patanjali Yoga Vidya Kendram, Chennai and member, Tamil Nadu Pranic Healing Society.

"Among the educational institutions, she is either a permanent faculty or guest lecturer in [the Catholic] Sathyabama College of Engineering, Rosary Matriculation School [run by the FMM nuns] and St. Bede’s Sports Foundation" [the Alma Mater of this writer, run by the Salesians of Don Bosco]… Her hobbies include tarot reading, palmistry, numerology, Vaastu Shastra… Effectively combining her knowledge of yoga with Reiki and pranic healing could produce miraculous results."[Madras Shopper’s Digest, October 2000]

("Astrological symbols are woven into other occultic arts such as tarot cards, palmistry, numerology, the use of sorcery and the Qabalah." [ASTROLOGY: WHAT IT REALLY IS by Marcia Montenegro in Holy Spirit Interactive Issue no. 66 dated April 10, 2005]

("Most astrologers are involved in other forms of occultism and New Age practices such as tarot cards, numerology, belief in reincarnation, having spirit guides, Eastern meditation practices, and so forth." [HOROSCOPES: TO READ OR NOT TO READ? by Marcia Montenegro in Holy Spirit Interactive Issue no. 107 dated March 26, 2006]

("My studies took me on many paths -- Tibetan, Hindu and Zen meditation and philosophy, spirit contact, numerology, psychic development, past life regression." [MARCIA'S STORY: A STRANGE BUT TRUE SPIRITUAL JOURNEY ]

("Many esoteric (mystic) movements have links to astrology. Numerology, tarot cards, palmistry and Kabbalah are a few that are well known." [New Age pandemic in the Church by Marsha West January 10, 2007 ]

("When confronted with an evil practice, believers, especially Church leaders, have got to lace up their trusty running shoes and high tail it out of there, pronto! Flee from horoscopes (astrology), numerology, séances, tarot cards, tealeaves, palm reading, crystal balls, talking boards, omens or signs; do not get involved in wizardry, witchcraft, the study of Kabbalah, nature religion (Wicca), the practice of yoga (its purpose is purely spiritual), Transcendental Meditation, labyrinths — basically, stay away from pagan customs and practices.

If you are currently involved in any of these things, you must bring it to an end today! Dabbling in sorcery is sin, so repenting of it is of paramount importance. And never return to it, even if it’s 'just for fun'." [Who cares what God says, I gotta be me! Marsha West, May 5, 2007]

("The enneagram, a system of numerology intended to make a person perfect, better and whole by understanding personality types." [ANGELS OF THE NEW AGE KIND by Mary Drahos ]

("Neither is [Fr. Mitch Pacwa SJ] convinced that the Enneagram can be purged of its occult roots or ever be acceptable for Christian use. In his experience, everyone who shared their excitement with the Enneagram also practiced one or more of the following: Zen, transcendental meditation, numerology, tarot, or astrology. Mixing these practices with Christianity is really no different than Santerria, where voodoo is awkwardly combined with certain aspects of Catholicism." [The Enneagram: Psychic Babble by Mary Jo Anderson in the September 1997 issue of the Catholic magazine Crisis.]

(Each [Enneagram] "Sin Type" or "Personality Type" still has a "number" and an "animal" which may be a Bear or an Owl or some other beast. Clearly this is Totemism and reads somewhat like a Horoscope or Numerology Personality Analysis. All of which is incompatible with Catholic teaching. The Enneagram gives you a "Number and a Beast". Now doesn't that sound familiar? The packaging has changed, but the contents stay the same. [What’s In A Word? by Eddie Russell, September 23, 1998 ]

Rome has condemned the Enneagram as New Age [#1.4, 7.2] in its Document of February 3, 2003.

NUMEROLOGICALLY RELATED: THE OCCULT ENNEAGRAM AND THE NEW AGE MBTI

("The Enneagram is significantly occultic in nature and origin, coming from Sufi, numerology, and Arica New-Age sources." [Notes in CARL JUNG, NEO-GNOSTICISM, AND THE MYERS-BRIGGS TEMPERAMENT INDICATOR [MBTI] A report by Rev. Ed Hird, Past National Chairman of Anglican Renewal Ministries of Canada, Rector, St. Simon’s Anglican Church, Vancouver ]

("The Myers-Briggs Temperament Indicator or MBTI uses numerology to codify and number the results of the personality profiling…

[A] person or Christian who takes these Personality Profiling tests is simultaneously doing all of the following at the same time: DIVINATION, NUMEROLOGY, ASTROLOGY, …NECROMANCY" [INFLUENCE OF CARL JUNG ON THE CHURCH, PART II and PART III by James Sundquist] The MBTI is New Age, see July 2009 article at this ministry’s web site.

CATHOLIC TESTIMONIES

BE STILL AND KNOW THAT I AM GOD

A Testimony of Rock and Ruin by Brendan Dias, Bandra, Mumbai EXTRACT

I then tried Yoga. It gave me physical relief and kept me mentally alert, but it also made me hyperactive and brought me no peace of mind. Next I turned to astrology in order to find a remedy for my insecurity. I wanted to know more about my future so that if there was something wrong up ahead I could take corrective action. Those astrological charts and horoscopes began to rule my life and my thinking. Not satisfied with astrology, I turned to palmistry and numerology. If anything still went wrong then, it was because I did not do my calculations properly. All this filled me with a lot of anxiety and worry.

In an attempt to get control over my mind, I used techniques like 'Silva Mind Control' and autosuggestion. However these were of no real help and I had become a slave to these techniques.

The search for power then led me on to ESP, parapsychology and occult phenomena…

The Church and the New Age Movement

By Dr. John B. Shea, M.D., FRCP Catholic Insight, November 2005, updated March 24, 2006 EXTRACT:

MORE INFORMATION ON NEW AGE

Lorraine Vincent of Zehner, Saskatchewan alerted us to a publication of interest, Ransomed from Darkness: The New Age, Christian Faith and the Battle for Souls by Moira Noonan*. Born into a Catholic family, Noonan lost her faith at a secular boarding school, and spent twenty years searching and ministering in the New Age movement.  After mastering several successive "re-programmings" and imparting the teachings to others, she was graced with conversion back to Catholicism through the help of the Blessed Virgin Mary. 

Deuteronomy 18:9-11 reads: When you come into the land which the Lord, your God, is giving you, you shall not learn to imitate the abominations of the peoples there. Let there not be found among you anyone who immolates his son or daughter in the fire, nor a fortune-teller, soothsayer, charmer, diviner, or caster of spells, nor one who consults ghosts and spirits or seeks oracles from the dead.

Noonan warns that: "If we were to write this same list in modern terms, it would include the following: Alchemical Hypnotherapy; Alchemy; Angel Guides; Angelic Channeling; Astral Cartography; Astral Projection; Astrology; Aura Work; Automatic Handwriting; Chakra Balancing; Chaneling; Clairaudience; Clairvoyance; Crystal Healing; Crystal Divination; Dowsing; Eckankar; Energy Work; EST; Etheric Light Body Work; Fire-walking; The Forum; Geomancy; Hands of Light; Hypnotism; The “I Am” Movement; I Ching; Laying of Stones; Medicine Wheel; Necromancy; New Thought; Numerology; Out-of-Body Work; Past-Life Regression Therapy; Psychic Development; Psychic Healing; Rebirthing; Reiki; Shamanism; Silva Mind Control; Soul Travel; Spirit Guides; Spiritual Psychotherapy; Spiritualism; Table-Tipping; Tantra; Tarot Cards; Trance Mediums; Trance Work; Visualization; Wicca."

Noonan offers powerful testimony about the idolatry of the self found in occultism, and the authentic wisdom of Jesus Christ as taught by the Catholic Church.

*North Bay Books, P. O. Box 21234, El Sobrante, CA 94820; 1-800-870-3194; john@

A NON-CATHOLIC TESTIMONY

JESUS IS THE POTTER, NOT HARRY



Harry Potter: What Does God Have To Say? Pastor David J. Meyer EXTRACT

I am writing this urgent message because I was once a witch. I lived by the stars as an astrologer and numerologist casting horoscopes and spells. I lived in the mysterious and shadowy realm of the occult.

By means of spells and magic, I was able to invoke the powers of the controlling unknown and fly upon the night winds transcending the astral plane. Halloween was my favorite time of the year and I was intrigued and absorbed in the realm of Wiccan witchcraft. All of this was happening in the decade of the 1960's when witchcraft was just starting to come out of the broom closet.

It was during that decade of the 1960's, in the year 1966 that a woman named J.K. Rowling was born. This is the woman who has captivated the world in this year of 2000 with four books known as the 'Harry Potter Series.' …

On July 8 at midnight, bookstores everywhere were stormed by millions of children to obtain the latest and fourth book of the series known as 'Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.' These books were taken into homes everywhere with a real evil spirit following each copy to curse those homes.

July 8th was also the 18th day (three sixes in numerology) from the witches' sabat of midsummer. July 8th was also the 13th day from the signing of the United Religions Charter in San Francisco...

[When David was 13 years old he began his involvement with astrology, numerology and palm reading. This continued until age 19 and he became well-known in northern Wisconsin as a psychic astrologer. Many mysterious events made him popular with the people in that area.] 

PRIMER ON NEW AGE – THE CATHOLIC BISHOPS’ CONFERENCE OF THE PHILIPPINES

EXTRACT

New Age groups tend to be gnostic. Gnostics emphasize knowledge or enlightenment that is esoteric (in the sense of being available only to the initiated), for attaining salvation, well-being, or integrity.  The belief and practice of New Age groups incorporate in varying degrees and combinations archaic beliefs and occult practices coming from Asian, African, Native American, and other mythical, religious, philosophical and magical on-gins. These beliefs and practices include karmic retribution, reincarnation, psychic powers, nature lore, and at times, even witchcraft. In particular New Age groups, elements of Hinduism, Buddhism, Sufism, kabbalah, pantheism, spiritism, and numerology may be prominent.

Numerology

EXTRACT

Historians believe that modern numerology is an integration of the teachings from Ancient Babylonia, Pythagoras and his followers, (6th. Century B.C. Greece), Astrological philosophy from Hellenistic Alexandria, early Christian mysticism, the occultism of the early Gnostics and the Hebrew system of the Qabala. The Indian Vedas, the Chinese "Circle of the Dead", and the Egyptian "Book of the Master of the Secret House", (Ritual of the Dead) are records giving strong evidence that Numerology dates back thousands of years.

Pythagoras and other philosophers of the time believed that because mathematical concepts were more "practical" (easier to regulate and classify) than physical ones, they had greater actuality. This is an idea in harmony with philosophical pragmatism and a choice for permanent concepts over changeable physicality…

In 325 A.D., following the First Council of Nicaea, departures from the beliefs of the state Church were classified as civil violations within the Roman Empire. Numerology had not found favor with the Christian authority of the day. It was assigned to the field of unapproved beliefs along with astrology and other forms of divination and "magic." Through this religious purging, the spiritual significance assigned to the heretofore "sacred" numbers began to disappear. In spite of this suppression there were still many devout believers, who kept the secret knowledge locked away…

The basis of the belief that dates and times have numerologic significance appears to be that underlying vibrations of the universe as a whole occur in regular cycles and that things created or changed at one or another point in these cycles will express the properties which the vibrations at that point in the cycle create. It is less clear how names, words and appellations would follow such a rule. One theory put forward by some numerologists is that persons who name things are subtly affected by universal vibrations to assign appropriate names which harmonize with the vibrations of the thing named.

Another question which has been asked relative to the numerological significance of words is how, if letters can be assigned numbers, things can have a uniform numerological identity when they are named differently in different languages and with different alphabets. For example, the numerologic value for "shirt" in English would be 8. The same item in Spanish would be "camisa," a 6 in numerology. One theory to explain this apparent inconsistency is that the different names for an object in different languages and orthographies correspond to different distinctive qualities of that object, just as different words for the same thing in the same language can carry different connotations.

To date, there is no scientific verification for the validity of claimed numerological principles. Numerology has thus been classified as a pseudoscience, and most scientists regard it as either deluded quackery or deliberate fraud. True science, as recognized in modern society, is based on the scientific method and requires that assertions answer to the regular and replicable use of this method to be considered as scientifically verifiable fact.

What does the Church teach about Numerology?



By Susan Brinkmann, January 31, 2011

Numerology is defined as the use of numbers to interpret a person’s character or to divine the future.  As such, it is strictly forbidden by the Church.

"All forms of divination are to be rejected: recourse to Satan or demons, conjuring up the dead or other practices falsely supposed to “unveil” the future. Consulting horoscopes, astrology, palm reading, interpretation of omens and lots, the phenomena of clairvoyance, and recourse to mediums all conceal a desire for power over time, history, and, in the last analysis, other human beings, as well as a wish to conciliate hidden powers. They contradict the honor, respect, and loving fear that we owe to God alone." (CCC 2116)

 

According to the Gale Encyclopedia of Occultism and Parapsychology, there are several different kinds of numerology that are used for divination purposes.

Gemantria, from the Greek word geometria, assigns numbers to each letter in the Hebrew alphabet in order to reveal a deeper, alternative or hidden meaning in the words. For instance, when Jacob tells his sons to "go down" to purchase grain in Egypt in Genesis 42:2, the words "go down" in Hebrew equal 210. This is interpreted to mean that Israel’s sojourn will last 210 years.

Modern numerology was developed by a fortune teller named Cheiro (Count Louis Hamon) who developed a system of what he called "fadic" numbers, which were arrived at by adding together all the digits in the subject’s birth date to produce a "number of destiny" to which special planetary and other significance was then attached.

Other systems of numerology assign numerical values to the letters of one’s name and/or birthplace, with these totals believed to have special symbolic interpretations similar to those used by astrologers in defining individual characteristics and tendencies.

There is some confusion among the faithful between the kind of numerology used for divination purposes with the symbolic meaning that some of the early Church fathers gave not only to certain numbers in themselves, but also of the numerical totals given by the constituent letters with which words were written.

However, "Many passages from St. Chrysostom and other Fathers might be cited as  . . . showing the reluctance of the great Christian teachers of the early centuries to push this recognition of the mystical significance of numbers to extremes," writes Fr. Herbert Thurston, S.J. for the Catholic Encyclopedia.

Catholic Encyclopedia (1913)/Use of Numbers in the Church



By Herbert Thurston

No attentive reader of the Old Testament can fail to notice that a certain sacredness seems to attach to particular numbers, for example, seven, forty, twelve, etc. It is not merely the frequent recurrence of these numbers, but their ritual or ceremonial use which is so significant.

Take, for example, the swearing of Abraham (Gen., xxi, 28 sqq.) after setting apart (for sacrifice) seven ewe lambs, especially when we remember the etymological connexion of the word nishba, to take an oath, with sheba seven. Traces of the same mystical employment of numbers lie much upon the surface of the New Testament also, particularly in the Apocalypse.

Even so early a writer as St. Irenaeus (Haer., V, xxx) does not hesitate to explain the number of the beast 666 (Apoc., xiii, 18) by the word "Lateinos" since the numerical value of its constituent [Greek] letters yields the same total (30+1+330+5+10+50+70+200=666); while sober critics of our own day are inclined to solve the mystery upon the same principles by simply substituting for Latinus the words Nero Caesar written in Hebrew characters which give the same result.

Of the ultimate origin of the mystical significance attached to numbers something will be said under "Symbolism." Suffice it to note here that although the Fathers repeatedly condemned the magical use of numbers which had descended from Babylonian sources to the Pythagoreans and Gnostics of their times, and although they denounced any system of their philosophy which rested upon an exclusively numerical basis, still they almost unanimously regarded the numbers of Holy Writ as full of mystical meaning, and they considered the interpretation of these mystical meanings as an important branch of exegesis.

To illustrate the caution with which they proceeded it will be sufficient to refer to one or two notable examples. St. Irenaeus (Haer., I, viii, 5 and 12, and II, xxxiv, 4) discusses at length the Gnostic numerical interpretation of the holy name Jesus as the equivalent of 888, and he claims that by writing the name in Hebrew characters an entirely different interpretation is necessitated.

Again St. Ambrose commenting upon the days of creation and the Sabbath remarks, "The number seven is good, but we do not explain it after the doctrine of Pythagoras and the other philosophers, but rather according to the manifestation and division of the grace of the Spirit; for the prophet Isaias has enumerated the principal gifts of the Holy Spirit as seven" (Letter to Horontianus). Similarly St. Augustine, replying to Tichonius the Donatist, observes that "if Tichonius had said that these mystical rules open out some of the hidden recesses of the law, instead of saying that they reveal all the mysteries of the law, he would have spoken truth" (De Doctrina Christiana, III, xlii).

Many passages from St. Chrysostom and other Fathers might be cited as displaying the same caution and showing the reluctance of the great Christian teachers of the early centuries to push this recognition of the mystical significance of numbers to extremes.

On the other hand there can be no doubt that influenced mainly by Biblical precepts, but also in part by the prevalence of this philosophy of numbers all around them, the Fathers down to the time of Bede and even later gave much attention to the sacredness and mystical significance not only of certain numerals in themselves but also of the numerical totals given by the constituent letters with which words were written.

A conspicuous example is supplied by one of the earliest of Christian documents not included in the canon of Scripture, i.e., the so-called Epistle of Barnabas, which Lightfoot is inclined to place as early as A.D. 70-79. This document appeals to Gen., xiv, 14 and xvii, 23, as mystically pointing to the name and self-oblation of the coming Messias. "Learn, therefore," says the writer, "that Abraham who first appointed circumcision, looked forward in spirit unto Jesus when he circumcised, having received the ordinances of three letters. For the Scripture saith, And Abraham circumcised of his household eighteen males and three hundred.' What then was the knowledge given unto him? Understand ye that He saith the eighteen' first, and then after an interval three hundred.' In the [number] eighteen [the Greek IOTA] stands for 10, [the Greek ETA] for eight. Here thou hast Jesus ([in Greek] IESOUS). And because the cross in the [Greek TAU] was to have grace, he saith also three hundred.' So he revealeth Jesus in two letters and in the remaining one the cross" (Ep. Barnabas, ix). It will, of course, be understood that the numerical value of the Greek letters iota and eta,, the first letters of the Holy Name, is 10 and 8 18, while Tau, which stands for the form of the cross, represents 300.

At a period, then, when the Church was forming her liturgy and when Christian teachers so readily saw mystical meanings underlying everything which had to do with numbers, it can hardly be doubted that a symbolical purpose must constantly have guided the repetition of acts and prayers in the ceremonial of the Holy Sacrifice and indeed in all public worship. Even in the formulae of the prayers themselves we meet unmistakable traces of this kind of symbolism. In the Gregorian Sacramentary (Muratori, "Liturgia Romana Vetus," II, 364) we find a form of Benediction in some codices (it is contained also in the Leofric Missal), assigned to the Circumcision or Octave of the Nativity, which concludes with the following words: "Quo sic in senarii numeri perfectione in hoc saeculo vivatis, et in septenario inter beatorum spirituum aginina requiescatis quatenus in octavo resurrectione renovati; jubilaei remissione ditati, ad gaudia sine fine mansura perveniatis. Amen."

We are fairly justified then when we read of the three-fold, five-fold, and seven-fold litanies, of the number of the repetitions of Kyrie eleison and Christe eleison, of the number of the crosses made over the oblata in the canon of the Mass, of the number of the unctions used in administering the last sacraments, or the prayers in the coronation of a king (in the ancient form in the so-called Egbert Pontifical these prayers have been carefully numbered), of the intervals assigned for the saying of Masses for the dead, of the number of the lessons or the prophecies read at certain seasons of the year, or of the absolutions pronounced over the remains of bishops and prelates, or again of the number of subdeacons that accompany the pope and of the acolytes who bear candles before him — we are justified, we say, in assigning some mystical meaning to all those things, which may not perhaps have been very closely conceived by those who instituted these ceremonies, but which nevertheless had an influence in determining their choice why the ceremony should be performed in this particular way and not otherwise.

Catholic Encyclopedia (1913)/Use of Numbers in the Church -Symbolism

EXTRACT

By Herbert Thurston

Symbolism may for our present purpose be defined to be the investing of outward things or actions with an inner meaning, more especially for the expression of religious ideas. In a greater or less degree symbolism is essential, to every kind of external worship and we need not shrink from the conclusion that in the matter of baptisms and washings, of genuflexions and other acts of reverence, of lights and sweet smelling incense, of flowers and white vestures, of unctions and the imposing of hands, of sacrifice and the rite of the communion banquet, the Church has borrowed, without hesitation, from the common stock of significant actions known to all periods and to all nations. In such matters as these Christianity claims no monopoly. Religious symbolism is effective precisely in the measure in which it is sufficiently natural and simple to appeal to the intelligence of the people. Hence the choice of suitable acts and objects for this symbolism is not so wide that it would be easy to avoid the appearance of an imitation of paganism even if one deliberately set to work to invent an entirely new ritual.

In any case the Old Testament, and more particularly the religious worship of the Old Testament, is full of symbolism. However literal may be our interpretation of the early chapters of Genesis, we cannot fail to recognize the symbolic element which pervades them. […]

In such liturgical treatises as the "Rationale" of Durandus every detail in the construction of the church has a special significance assigned to it. The roof represents charity which covers a multitude of sins; the beams which tie the building together betoken the champions of ecclesiastical right who defend it with the sword; the vaulting signifies the preachers who bear up the dead weight of man's infirmity heavenwards; the columns and piers stand for the Apostles, bishops, and doctors; the pavement symbolizes the foundation of faith or the humility of the poor; and so on. In all this the mystical interpretation of numbers holds a great place. There are twelve consecration crosses, and this, besides a reference to the Twelve Apostles (in not a few instances each consecration cross is marked upon a shield borne by one of the Apostles), symbolizes the spiritualizing human nature and of the world by faith, or, as others put it, it betokens the universal Church. The reason is that three, the number of the Blessed Trinity, figures the Divine nature, and four, the number of the elements, typifies the number of the material world. Twelve is the product of three and four, and it consequently betokens the penetration of matter with spirit. So again eight denotes perfection and completion, for the visible world was made in seven days and the invisible kingdom of grace follows upon that. In this way the octagonal shape was judged specially appropriate for the baptistery or for the font, on the ground that this initiation into the supernatural order of grace completed the work of creation. Naturally five recalls the wounds of Christ, and five grains of incense are inserted cross-wise in the Paschal Candle, while ten, the number of the Commandments, is typical of the Old Law. Seven again has its own very special attraction as the number of the sacraments, of the gifts of the Holy Ghost, of the virtues and vices, and many other things. There can be little doubt that much of this symbolism of numbers is to be traced back to Egypt and Assyria, where the movements of the seven planets, as men then counted them, were continuously studied and where the elements of three and four into which seven was divided lent themselves to other combinations also regarded as peculiarly sacred, for example the number sixty, the product of three, four, and five.

The New American Bible [on The Beast, 666, and the 144,000 who will be saved]

Revelation 13: 18: Wisdom is needed here; one who understands can calculate the number of the beast, for it is a number that stands for a person. His number is six hundred and sixty-six.

Each of the letters in Hebrew as well as in Greek has a numerical value. Many possible combinations of letters will add up to 666, and many candidates have been nominated for this infamous number. The most likely is the emperor Caesar Nero (see the note on 13:3), the Greek form of whose name in Hebrew letters gives the required sum. (The Latin form of this name equals 616, which is the reading of a few manuscripts. Nero personifies the emperors who viciously persecuted the church. It has also been observed that '6' represents imperfection, falling short of the perfect number '7' and is represented here in a triple or superlative form.

Revelation 13:3: I saw that one of its heads seemed to have been mortally wounded, but this mortal wound was healed. Fascinated, the whole world followed after the beast.

This may be a reference to the popular legend that Nero would come back to life and rule again after his death (which occurred in A.D. 68 from a self-inflicted stab wound in the throat; cf. v 14; 17:8. Domitian (A.D. 81-96) embodied all the cruelty and impiety of Nero. Cf. Introduction.

Revelation 7:4-9:

One hundred and forty-four thousand: the square of twelve (the number of Israel’s tribes) multiplied by a thousand, symbolic of the new Israel (cf. 14:1-5; Galatians 6:16, James 1:1) that embraces people from every nation, race, people and tongue (9).

New American Bible, 1990-1991 edition

"Lord, Will Those Who Are Saved Be Few?" Pontifical-Household Preacher on a Key Question

VATICAN CITY, August 20, 2004 () Here is the commentary by Father Raniero Cantalamessa, preacher for the Pontifical Household, of the Gospel passage for this Sunday's liturgy, Luke 13:22-30, in which someone asks Jesus: "Lord, will those who are saved be few?"

There is a question which the faithful have always asked themselves: Are there many or few who will be saved? In certain periods this problem became so acute that it caused terrible anguish in some people. The Gospel tells us that one day this problem was posed to Jesus. "A person asked him: 'Lord, is it true that only a few are saved?'" The question, as can be seen, refers to the number: how many are saved, many or few? Jesus changed the center of attention from the number to how it is possible to be saved, that is, the need to enter by "the narrow door."

It is the same attitude manifested when addressing the topic of Christ's last coming. The disciples asked him when the Son of Man would return and Jesus replied by indicating how one must prepare for this return [see Matthew 24:3-4].

Jesus' way of acting is neither strange nor discourteous. It is simply the behavior of one who wishes to educate the disciples to pass from the level of curiosity to authentic wisdom, from the pointless questions that excite people to the real problems of life. From this we are able to understand the absurdity of those, such as Jehovah's Witnesses, who even think they know the exact number of the saved: 144,000.

This number, which appears in Revelation, has a merely symbolic value (the square of 12, the number of the tribes of Israel, multiplied by 1,000) and is explained in this expression: "a great multitude which no man could number" [Revelation 7:9]. After all, if that is really the number of the saved, then we could spare ourselves the effort, we and they. On the door of paradise the sign "Full" should have been written long ago, as at the entrance of some parking lots.

If, therefore, Jesus is not interested in revealing to us the number of the saved, but rather the way to be saved, let us see what he has to say in this regard. Essentially two things: one negative and the other positive.

The first, what is worthless, and the second what is useful to be saved. The fact of belonging to a specific people, race, tradition or institution is not useful to be saved. Nor does the possession of a title lead to salvation -- "We have eaten and drunk with thee" -- but a personal decision, followed by coherent conduct in life.

This is even clearer in Matthew's text, which contrasts two ways and two gates, one narrow and the other wide [see Matthew 7:13-14]. Why does he call these two ways, respectively, "wide" and "narrow"? Is the way of evil always easy and pleasing, and that of good hard and exhausting? We must be careful here, not to fall into the typical temptation of believing that everything goes magnificently well here for the wicked while, on the contrary, everything goes wrong for the good.

The way of the impious is wide, yes, but only at the beginning. The more they progress on it, the more it becomes narrow and bitter. In any case, it is extremely narrow at the end, as it leads to a dead end. The happiness experienced in it goes diminishing as it is experienced, until it becomes nauseous and sad.

There can be a certain kind of inebriation, as with drugs, alcohol and sex. An ever-stronger dosage is necessary to produce the same intense pleasure until the organism ceases to respond, and then comes the collapse, emotional and also physical.

The way of the just, on the contrary, is narrow at the beginning, but then becomes wide, as they find hope, joy, and peace of heart on it. It leads to life, not death.

ephesians- michaelprabhu@

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[1] The Everything Bible Book, ISBN: 1-59337-026-1, (2004), Rev, Fr. John Trigilio, Jr., Ph.D., Th. D., & Rev. Fr. Kenneth Brighenti, Ph.D., Adams Media, Avon, MA., P.P. 83-84

[2] The Everything Bible Book, ISBN: 1-59337-026-1, (2004), Rev, Fr. John Trigilio, Jr., Ph.D., Th. D., & Rev. Fr. Kenneth Brighenti, Ph.D., Adams Media, Avon, MA., P. 94

[3] The Everything Bible Book, ISBN: 1-59337-026-1, (2004), Rev, Fr. John Trigilio, Jr., Ph.D., Th. D., & Rev. Fr. Kenneth Brighenti, Ph.D., Adams Media, Avon, MA., P. 157

[4] The Devil’s Web, ISBN: 0-910311-59-5, (1989), Pat Pulling, Huntington House, Inc., LaFayette, LA., P. 188

[5] The Devil’s Web, ISBN: 0-910311-59-5, (1989), Pat Pulling, Huntington House, Inc., LaFayette, LA., P. 178

[6] The Catholic Bible, ISBN: 0-19-528405-4, (1995), Oxford University Press, Inc, Oxford, NY., Deuteronomy 18:9-12, P. 207

[7] Satanism – Is It Real?, ISBN: 0-89283-777-2, (1992), Rev. Fr. Jeffrey J. Steffon, Servant Publications, Ann Arbor, MI., P. 52

[8] Satanism – Is It Real?, ISBN: 0-89283-777-2, (1992), Rev. Fr. Jeffrey J. Steffon, Servant Publications, Ann Arbor, MI., P. 53

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